Look
by NikiD1233
Summary: "Percy Jackson is dead, he died along with his mother. This is goodbye." When Percy is forgotten and betrayed, he leaves. John Smith is left in his place, but what happens when he gets thrust back into the life he used to have, all because one person didn't give up hope? What if this person fell in love with John Smith and Percy?
1. Chapter 1

Percy's POV:

I sighed as I watched the waves crash. I've only been at Camp for a month, and I must say it is very different. I have a half-brother, he is a year younger than me, and his name is Hercules Wilt. He had sandy blonde hair, pool blue eyes, pale skin, and limbs like twigs. He isn't very strong, and he isn't that good of a fighter, but he deserves his name. He is just as arrogant and egoistic as the original Hercules. I'm fine with that though, that's just the way he is, and I tried to be nice to him. I honestly did try, the first day I got here, but that's also when I found out what happened while I was at home with my mom. Hercules came to camp a month after I left, escorted by my dad. Since he was escorted by my dad, everybody started flocking towards him like flies to honey, and he became the 'Hero of Olympus' even though the only immortal to like him was my dad. I stopped trying to be nice when I found out my friends abandoned me, my dad isn't pIdid of me and only comes for Hercules, and Annabeth was cheating on me with Hercules. In the past month, I haven't talked to anybody except the Olympians and Chiron. They come at different times to give me food and check on how I'm doing. Of course my dad hasn't come to check on me, even though he is here every day for Hercules. I watched sadly as everybody ran to the Dining Pavillion, laughing and not giving a care in the world. They were with their friends and siblings all the time while I was training myself and sleeping on the beach with occaisonal company.

"Hello Perseus." a voice called from my right.

I smiled slightly and turned to face my current company.

"Lady Artemis." I said as I bowed my head

I noticed she had a forced smile and her eyes were full of remorse.

"What's wrong, My Lady?" I asked immediately.

I was a little surprised by the fact that I could notice that something was wrong, but Artemis usually stayed the longest out of all my visitors and we talked a lot, so it wast really surprised.

"Percy...your mom and Paul are dead...they drowned in the ocean even though their chord wasn't cut."

No. No my dad wouldn't kill her. No, he loved her, she was a queen... I quickly stood up and ran to the dining pavilion. I ran right up to my dad.

No...no...no...

"Tell me it isn't true." I whispered.

He stared at me. Everybody was silent.

"What?" he asked.

I punched him in the face.

"TELL ME YOU DIDN'T MURDERED MY MOTHER!" I screamed.

I could faintly hear Artemis, Chiron, and Dionysus trying to calm me down, and then Artemis flashing to Olympus.

"I did no such thing, Percy. Her chord was cut." my dad murmured, not looking into my eyes.

"LIES! LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME THE TRUTH!" I roared.

He refused to look at me while I held him ul by his neck. If it wasn't for the fact that my dad murdered my mom, I would be joking about how I was taller than him.

"Put him down, wimp. He didn't kill your mommy." Hercules scoffed, but I could hear the fear in his voice.

"Sit your ass down and shut the fuck up before I KILL you." I hissed, not even looking at him.

He immediately sat down and shut up. Poseidon stayed silent.

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT! LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME THE TRUTH!" I screamed as I punched Poseidon again.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, looking me in the eyes finally.

My grip tightened around his neck. He killed her, he killed my mom. He even killed Paul. .

"What were her last words?" I asked quietly.

I was faintly aware of the other Olympians and Chiron trying to calm me down and stop me from hurting Poseidon even more, and that there was a strange power around me stopping them from doing so.

"I love you. Those were her last words." he whispered.

I stared at him for a minute, and then I dropped him. I felt all the energy and power in me drain away. I closed my eyes, smiled, and laughed weakly.

"You know what those words meant? Who they were for? They were for this whole damned world that she though was so beautful, even though there are so many bad things. It was for everybody I cared for, because if I cared for them then she did too. It was for Paul, her mortal husband. It was for you, the man she always loved. It was for me, her only son." I said quietly.

The silence was deafening. I continued speaking, my eyes still closed.

"Thats what was great about my mom, she saw all the good things. But if you want to know the truth, this world isn't beautiful. The grass isn't green, the sky isn't blue, it's all grey. There is no such thing as a happy ending, and dreams don't come true. The world is an empty place where people live in an illusion until they see the truth, until they realize the beauty wasn't real. The world is full of pain, of suffering, of hate, of betrayal, but no beauty."

I snapped my eyes opened and focused them on Athena.

"I finally understand why loyalty is a fatal flaw. It's not because I would destroy the world to save somebody I care for, but because when the very people I'm loyal to betray me. When loyalty is your flaw, when they betray you it destroys you. It kills you on the inside, you slowly die, you are being tortured. That is why loyalty is a fatal flaw." I said to her quietly.

Everybody stayed silent. Nobody dared to move or speak.

"Percy Jackson is dead, do you hear me? He died along with his mother. This is goodbye." I said and walked through the door.

I walked up the hill and turned back to see camp one last time. Everybody was frozen in shock. Everybod. Except for one person.

"Percy!" she screamed and ran towards me.

I smiled and waved.

"Goodbye." I said quietly.

I stared into her silver eyes one last time. Then, I disappeared in a sea breeze.


	2. Chapter 2

~3 Years Later~

Percy's POV:

You know those cliché movies about a small farming town in the south? The tows where people have accents and say y'all a lot? Where everybody knows everybody and they always help one another? Where the main attraction is the town square, and everybody is ecstatic when the carnival comes to town? Yeah, I live in one of those towns now. I left my old life behind, and Percy Jackson is dead. My name is John Smith now, and I'm living a normal life. I still have a few things that I hold onto from my past. All the pictures of me and my mom (as well as all of them that have Paul), Riptide, my camp necklace. They stay in a box hidden away. The only thing that isn't hidden away is the fact that I still miss one person more than all the others who didn't betray me, somebody with auburn hair an silver eyes. But I have to realize she's gone, I'm not going to see her again, because Percy Jackson is dead.

"John, do you think you could go to town and buy some blueberries from Abigail? I wanna make a pie!" Judy exclaimed from the kitchen.

"Heading out now, Judy!" I called back.

A little bit about Judy: Judy is the woman I've been staying with. Judy is eigthty years old, has white curly hairs, blue eyes, an a bad hip. Her actual name is Judice and she is a clear-sighted mortal. She's the only person who knows about my past and that my real name is Percy way I came to stay with Judy is interesting. I was just walking around town, no idea where I was, when she saw me and invited me to her home. Judy took me in and told me a little about herself. She was born and raised in town, grew up on the farm, has two kids who left for te city, and her husband died ten years ago. Of course, after she told me she would let me stay with her since she could use some help, I told her everything. I've been staying with Judy ever since. Judy always says that I've changed a bit since I came. She says I have developed a southern accent, which is true, and that my muscles are even more defined than they used TI be, which all the girls in town think is true. Judy is always trying to set me up with a girl, talking about how I'm so handsome it's easy for me to get a girl. Getting a girl in town isn't the problem, the fact that I'm in love with one that I'll never see again is. But that doesn't stop Judy! She makes me go out on dates, or sends me out on errands to her friends so I can see one of her friend's granddaughters, likenNow with Abigail. But that's Judy for you, and I love her to bits.

"Can you stop by the feed store too? The animals need some food!" she called right when I was at the door.

"Sure thing, Judy!" I replied and went outside to the pick-up truck.

The pick-up truck is beat up and dark blue, and is one of the first things I bought when I came to town. No, Judy doesn't pay me, she already gives me a home and food. I go around and help other people in town, and sometimes they will pay me even though I don't want them too. Some of the errands I have done are mowing lawns, fixing up/building stables or barns, fixing roofs. I practically reconstructed the barn at Judy's, as well as the chicken coop, but it's all good. Judy has two cows, ten chickens, five sheep, two goats, three cats, two dogs, and three horses. One of the horses is mine, and I got him soon after I got the truck. He was a pure black colt, and his former owner surrendered him to the shelter because they couldn't take care of him. Once I saw him, I knew I had to have him. I named him Blackjack, in honor of Blackhack. He also eats as much as Blackjack, so it's no surprise I have to head to theseed store, which is where I stopped first.

"Hi, John! You buyin' the usual?" the owner, Dan, asked as I walked through the doors.

"Sure thing, Dan!" I said as I walked towards the aisle, pushing a cart.

I bought all the feed for all the animals, as well as a few toys for Judy's dogs and cats, and a few supplies for the shelter.

"Tell Laurie I say hello, Dan!" I said as I walked towards the doors.

"Sure thing, John! You tell Judy the same from me. See you soon!"

Next, I drove to Abigail's. Abigail also grew up in town, and she runs the local grocery store. Her granddaughter, Tori, helps her. Tori is the same age as me, and I was in the same Senior class as her. We were always in the same group of friends, and she's really nice, but people always expected me to go out with her, and Tori didn't seem to mind that.

"Hey, Tori." I said as I walked inside.

She smiled shyly at me.

"Hi, John. What brings you here today?"

"Just a few errands. Judy is making some blueberry pie, Blackjack is eating all the sugar. The usual."

She laughed.

"Well you know where everything is. Ill beheight here if you need something."

I smiled and nodded at her, then continued towards the blueberries. I grabbe a few boxes and headed towards Tori again.

"John, I was wondering if you could help with a leak at house. Do you think you could stop by soon?" Tori asked as she run me up.

I noticed that she was biting her lips nervously, and her eyes looked hopeful.

"Sure thing, Tori. I'll come and check it out tomorrow, okay?"

She smiled and nodded.

"See you soon, Tori!" I said as I walked out the door.

"See you, John!"

I felt little bad, like I was leading her on, but I honestly just wanted to help out. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't notice somebody in front of me, and I bumped into them.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" I apologized.

"Just watch it next time, okay?" they grumbled.

I froze. I recognized that voice. I heard that voice every night in my dreams. Bit no...it couldn't be. But that's when she looked up at me, and her jaw dropped. I managed TI make sure mine didn't, and I tried to hide the fact that I recognized her. ThewaSs no chance that it wasn't her, only one person has silver eyes.

"Percy?"

Artemis.


	3. Chapter 3

Artemis' POV:

It's been a little over three years since Percy disappeared. He would be turning twenty-one next week, on Friday. Everybody else gave up searching for him one year ago, and I'm the only one still looking. I can't find him though, something has been hiding him from us, but I won't give up. I don't know when I realized that I loved him, I think it was when I was visiting when he was down. But now that I know I love him, and I need to find him. I haven't had any leads on where he is, so I'm just flashing to random places and looking. Right now I'm in a small farming town in the south. It's a sweet little town, like the ones from those mortal movies. It's the kind of town Hestia would adore. Right now I was just wandering around when somebody bumped into me. And it was a boy. Even better! At least I was in my twenty-year old form so I didn't fall over.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" he apologized.

Was he flirting, or genuinely sorry?

"Just watch it next time, okay?" I grumbled.

I looked up at him, and that's when I saw his appearance. He is tall, has messy black hair, a perfect tan, toned muscles, and sea-green eyes. Could it be him? Could I finally have found him?

"Percy?" I asked.

I think I saw some confusion in his eyes, along with joy, kindness, and pain.

"Sorry miss, I don't know a Percy. I don't think there is a Percy in town. My name is John Smith." the man said with a slight southern accent and struck out his hand.

I warily shook his hand. Can he be Percy?

"Artemis Hunt."

He smiled a crooked grin.

"Pleasure to meet you. Are you new to town?" John questioned.

"Yep. Just traveling around."

He nodded.

"Where are you staying? There isn't a hotel close by."

I was a bit surprised by the fact that he was so concerned, but he was a man, so he was probably just flirting.

"I just arrived today, so I don't really have a place to stay." I said warily.

"You'll need a place to stay for as long as you are here. Why don't you come with me to Judy's? She would welcome you with open arms." John said with a small smile.

I shook my head.

"No, that's fine, I'll be leaving soon anyway."

He waved his hand.

"Nonsense, you come with me, Artemis." he said and grasped my hand.

I tensed at the contact. What was this man doing? Where was he taking me? I could turn him into a jackalope. But he reminds me so much of Percy...

"Come on in." John said as he opened the passenger door to a beat up blue pickup truck. I warily got in.

"How do I know you won't do something to me?" I asked.

He laughed. A small, happy laugh that reminded me of Percy.

"No need to worry, Miss. Nothing bad is going to happen to you with me."

The way he said it was like there was more meaning to it, like he actually met me and knew me for a long time.

"How long have you been living here?" I asked.

I noticed John has a bittersweet smile on his face.

"A few years."

His vague answer made me even more curious.

"Why?"

He frowned.

"My mother died." he said bluntly.

Oh...that's why he was sorry.

"I'm sorry for your loss." I murmured quietly.

He shrugged, his eyes fixed on the road.

"It happens to everybody some day."

But that wasn't true. I wouldn't die.

"So, why didn't you go stay with your dad?" I questioned.

I knew I was asking personal questions, but I wanted to feel like I could trust John. I was acting very different around him, I felt like I could trust him, and I wanted to make sure I could.

"My father isn't in the picture. He never really was honestly." John said, his sea-green eyes dark like the sea during a storm.

We drove on in silence until we reached a farm. This farm had a large sky-blue house with a beautiful porch, a barn, a chicken coop, and many acres of grass. It was truly beautiful.

"This is my home." John said as he opened my door for me.

I followed John into the house, and we were greeted by a woman with curly hair, blue eyes, and a walker.

"Welcome back John. Did you stop by the feed store? Who is your friend?" she asked as she took the blueberries John was holding from his hands.

John grinned.

"Yeah, Judy, I stopped by Dan's. He says hello. Judy, this is Artemis Hunt. Artemis, meet Judy."

I shook Judy's hand as she smiled at me with knowing look in her eyes.

"pleasure to meet you Artemis." she said kindly.

She shared a look with John and he nodded slightly, then shifted uncomfortably.

"Judy, Artemis needs a place to say, ca-"

"Of course she can stay here, John. You can say as long as you need to, Artemis." Judy said.

I smiled.

"Thank you." I said earnestly.

I felt a little bad of making these mortals take me in, but I needed I learn more about John. I don't know why, bit I felt like I had to.

"John, why don't you go show Artemis her room?" Judy offered.

John nodded and turned to me.

"Follow said with a smile and led me down a hall. He stopped in front of te third door on the left and opened it for me. It was a simple room with a queen sizes bed, silver sheets, a window, a bathroom, a book case, and a desk.

"Welcome to your temporary home. I need to go take care of some animals, so excuse me." John said aturned walked out the door.

"Can I come?" I called after him.

He turned to me and smiled. Dang he smiles a lot.

"Sure, just follow me." he said and walked back towards the pick up truck.

He opened the door for me again and drove towards the barn and the chicken coop.

"You don't have to help, just watch." he said as he took some chicken feed out of the trunk and fed it to the chickens.

He put the rest of it in a little cabinet the chickens couldn't reach so that he could use it next time.

"I want to help, though." I said indignantly.

He smiled at me.

"You don't have to, you are a guest."

I shook my head and started to feed the goats as he fed the sheep. After that, we fed the cows, and finally the horses. I noticed that John was paying particular attention to a pure black stallion.

"That ones mine, his name is Blackjack."

I froze. Blackjack. Just like Percy's Pegasus...

"I saved him from the shelter, he was owner surrendered. Neglected, too. He's a happy horse now though." he said with a proud glint in his eyes.

I nodded slowly. He stared at me for a minute.

"You wanna go for a ride?" he asked.

I had nothing to lose, so why not?

"Sure."

He grinned a huge grin and led me over to a horse that had white-silver fur.

"This is Luna, she's around fifteen. You could ride her if you want." John offered.

I stroked Luna's neck and nodded. John took a saddle and bridle and put it on Luna, then he took another saddle and bridle and put it on Blackjack.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep."

He smiled and helped me onto Luna, then he hopped onto Blackjack.

"Just ride." he said and shot off.

Luna and I were off soon after, just riding around the fields. John slowed down and rode alongside me.

"This is my home." John said with a smile.

I smiled at him. I don't know why it was so easy to be around him. Maybe because he reminded me of Percy.

"It's beautiful!" I exclaimed.

He just smiled.

"Tell me a little about yourself, Artemis. You don't seem like a city girl, but you don't seem like you are from the country either."

I smiled.

"I usually camp out in the woods."

He nodded, and we stayed in a comfortable silence. I don't know for how long we rode the horses, but I do know that we started to head back when the sun was setting.

"Great, you're back! I just finished cooking dinner, and the pie is cooling." Judy said as we walked through the door.

"Yes!" John exclaimed and rushed to the table.

I followed him, and he pulled a chair out or me to sit and another one for Judy. Dinner was a normal dinner, where everybody talked about their day and whatwhey were thinking about. It was great, but then Judy got onto the topic of relationships.

"Artemis, do you have a special guy in your life?" Judy asked.

She had that knowing look in her eyes, so I was pretty sure she was a clear-sighted morta. And already knew the answer to my question.

"No."

She smiled and kept glancing between me and John.

"John doesn't have a girlfriend. He's been living here for three years and hasn't had one girlfriend." Judy told me while smirking.

John state four the window, a blush gracing his cheeks.

"Judy, you know why. I just don't want to be hurt again. Now, can we please talk about something else?"

I stared quizzically at John. He hasn't ha a girlfriend in year. Because he has been hurt before. First time a woman has broken a man's heart.

"What are you going to do for your birthday next week?"

John took a bite of his pie and thought about it.

"I'm going to take care of the animalS, head to the shelter, come home, and sleep." he said finally.

Judy mock-glared at him.

"No, you are going to go out with your friends and have fun with your friends." Judy stated.

"But Judy!" John whined.

"No buts, Mister."

John groaned again.

"Whe. is your birthday?" I asked.

"August Eighteen."

I froze. Percy's birthday.

"Oh, cool." I managed to say, and then I went silent.

The rest of dinner went on in silence. John led Judy to her bed, and then went outside. I followed him and noticed he was just laying on his back in the middle of the field.

"The moon is beautiful, isn it?" he asked quietly.

I blushed. He practically called me beautiful.

"I love the stars, too. I come out here every night, and just look."

I sat down next to him.

"Which constellation is your favorite?"

I expected him to say Hercules or Orion, both were arrogant and diagusting men that were called heros. His answer surprised me.

"The Huntress."

"Why? Don't all men want to be a strong hero, like Hercules?"

John's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Hercules was no hero. He had so much help, but he took all the credit and glory, while others suffered because they helped him. Hercules was never a hero."

I stared at him in shock. This man reminded me so much of Percy.

"Would you want to be a hero, though?" I questioned.

"Never. I like my life the way it is, and I would never exchange it for the life of a hero."

We both stayed silent after that, just watching the stars. I kept thinking about how much John was like Percy, and about how I am different when I'm around John. I'm open, and trusting. I don't treat him like I treat other men. I'm acting like I did when I visited Percy.

"I'm going to head inside." I murmured.

John stood and offered me his hand to help me up. I took his hand with a nod of thanks. We walked back to te house in silence, and he walked me up to my door.

"Goodnight, Artemis."

"Goodnigt, John." I said as I closed my door.

I just sat in my room, thinking for a little while.

John really reminded mdoor Percy, but he also seemed different. I'm not sure if he is Percy, but I know he is a half-blood, and a powerful one at that. But how did er survive all these years without camp? I have no clue, and I'm going to desperate measures to find out.

"Hey, Apollo..."


	4. Chapter 4

Percy's POV:

I woke up around eight AM and immediately slipped on my jacket and boots on so I could feed the animals. Judy and Artemis were both awake and eating eggs in the dining room.

"Good morning, John!" Judy exclaimed with a grin.

Judy loves mornings.

"Morning." Artemis said.

Artemis looked like she did something she might regret.

"Good morning!" I said with a grin and started to head towards the door.

When I opened the door, I saw somebody was standing there, about to knock. Somebody familiar.

"Apollo!" I exclaimed with a grin.

He grinned at me.

"Hey, John!"

You must be surprised, so let me explain. When I moved here three years ago, the gods were searching for me. Apollo, Hermes, and Hestia teamed up to search for me and found me here. Then some of the other gods found me. Athena, Zeus, Dionysus, and Hades actually. They all swore on the Styx not to tell who John Smith used to be, and would only bring other gods if necessary. They actually helped me. They hid my presence from the other gods, Apollo gave me his blessing, Hermes gave me a guitar and an iPod touch he stole, Athena tutored me throughout my Senior year so I could pass, Hestia gave me her blessing, and Hades allowed me to have contact with my mom and Paul when I need them most. They all visit frequently to see how I'm doing and to just have some fun. There are a few rules, like no hooking up with mortals in town and they all have to act like regular mortals at all times, but they all follow them. I also reveal who I was when I want to, even though they already believed it, which is usually after they stick around for a while.

"Hi, Apollo. You know John?" Artemis asked, coming up from behind me.

Apollo chuckled and nodded.

"I have my own room here."

"Is that who I think it is? Apollo?" Judy asked from the dining room.

"Yep! Hey , Judy!" Apollo said as he walked towards the dining room, Artemis following him.

"You're back! You can eat John's food, he's heading out right now."

"Hey!" I cried indignantly.

"Go feed the animals, John. You can eat at Tori and Abigail's when you fix that leak!"

"Okay, Judy. See you guys later."

I quickly got into the pick-up truck and drove to Tori's and Abigail's, knowing that Artemis invited Apollo here because she thinks I'm Precy Jackson.

But I'm not Percy. Percy Jackson was called a hero, and he had a hero's ending.

I'm John Smith, the normal boy who lost his mom and has a dead beat dad, the boy that moved to the south from the city.

The boy that never wants to be a hero, and never will be.

Artemis' POV:

Once, Percy was out the door, Judy started to speak.

"Apollo, could you tell her the rules and everything else?" Judy asked.

I was pretty confused, what rules?

"Hey, sis." Apollo said with a smirk.

"Apollo." I said, irritated.

"You need to learn a bit about John."

I leaned forward. Judy stayed silent but had a small smile on her face.

"Now, you think John is Percy right? You are certain about it, I know that. Well, he's not."

There goes all the hope and certainty I had that I found Percy.

"John is a very powerful demigod, as you know. He knows he is a demigod, and who his father is."

That was interesting. Why are there no monsters, though?

"He knows Dad, Hestia, Hermes, Dionysus, Athena, and Hades. We all visit him frequently, and we hide his prescense from gods, monsters, and satyrs. You will find out why later from John, when John feels the time is right."

Well, John is very special.

"Now, the rules. Act like a regular mortal. John doesn't want to be involved in our world, but he wants the Olympians that find him to be his friends. Stay as long as you want, it's fine. No hooking up with mortals, but that isn't a concern for you. Have fun, which you have troube with."

"I do not!" I said indignantly.

Apollo just snorted.

"John is like a grandson to me, and I don't want to see him hurt. He had a very tragic past, and he does not deserve what happened to him, and what is going to happen to him. If he doesn't tell you everything soon, please understand that it hurts him to remember." Judy said quietly.

I couldn't help but wonder what hurt John so much.

Percy's POV:

"There we go! All fixed up!" I said with a grin.

I jumped to my feet and Tori smiled at me.

"Your birthday is next week." she said matter-of-factly.

I shrugged.

"And?"

"And you're turning twenty one!"

I frowned.

"It's not a big deal. I don't really want to talk about my birthday."

She nodded and frowned slightly.

"Who was the girl in front of the store yesterday?" she asked, jealousy sparking in her eyes.

"A friend named Artemis, she might be staying in town for a while."

"She staying with you and Judy?"

I nodded and a small smile crept onto my face. Her eyes flared.

"I need to go, see ya, Tori." I said awkwardly and walked towards the door.

"See ya, John."

I quickly got in the pick-up truck and drove home. When I stepped inside I saw Artemis, Apollo, and Judy talking while drinking orange juice.

"Hey, I'm home!" I said with a small grin.

They all looked up and smiled at me, although Artemis' did look forced, but she is probably just acting like herself again. She also looked like she was trying to figure me out, so I figured they told her the rules.

"John! Did you get a girlfriend yet?" Apollo asked with a smirk as he stood up and walked towards me.

I rolled my eyes. Apollo is the second most liked guy in town, right after me, anesyestereay loves poking fun at me that I'm not dating anybody because I'm in love with his sister.

"Same answer as last time Apollo, NO."

He swung his arm around my shoulders.

"Well, that's going to change soon, right?"

Before I cold answer, Artemis spoke up.

"Apollo, stop trying to corrupt him!" she exclaimed.

Judy chuckled in amusement.

"This is why I love having you visit, Apollo. Are the others coming soon, too?"

Apollo grinned and nodded.

"Yep! I'm not exactly sure when, though." Apollo said.

Judy and I grinned, while Artemis stayed silent. It looked like Artemis was lost in her own little world.

"I want go play laser tag." I said randomly.

Apollo bursted out laughing at that.

"Of course you do, John. Of course you do." he said, patting me on the back.

Judy had a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Why don't you take Artemis with you? You could show her around town."

I froze. Artemis wouldnt want to be near me! But Judy didnt seem to care about that, and neither did Apollo, acording to the glance he shared a glance with Judy.

"Yeah, why don't you show my little sis around, Johnny? I need to talk to Judy for a bit."

"I am not you little sis, Apollo! I'm OLDER than you!" Artemis snapped as she came back to Earth.

"Whatever you say, sis. Your heading into town with John, though."

She froze. I wasn't breathing. She looked like she was going to blow a fuse.

"Okay." she said calmly.

I let out a breath, Judy was smiling, and Apollo was smirking.

"Uhm...okay then. I'll show you around and we'll play laser tag." I stuttered.

"Be ready to lose." she said with a smirk.

I smiled at her, but on the inside I knew I was dead. She would crush me like a bug.

But that's why I love her.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Okay, I know you all probably hate me for not updating for so long, but I've been very busy and I had sever writers block lately. I am planning on updating ALL my stories very soon. Expect Broken and Broken Soul (NEED to change the title for that one!) to be next. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Percy's POV:

"_One Minute."_

Artemis and I are playing laser tag at the arcade, which is attached to the movie theater, right now. We've been playing for around thirty minutes, and we came right after I showed her around town. I'm playing for blue team and she is playing for yellow team, and we both have 2, 250 points. Whoever makes the last shot in the game earns 10, 000 points and wins, so we both want to make this shot.

"Where is she?" I muttered to myself.

"Right here." Her voice said from behind me.

I spun around, but she wasn't there.

"Wha?"

"Too slow! I'm over here!" she said from my right.

I spun to my right but she wasn't there.

"_Thirty Seconds."_

"Come on! Do you really have to play your hunter games right now?" I whined.

"Yep!" she exclaimed from my left.

I spun around, and yet again, she wasn't there.

"C'mon out."

Nothing.

I started to walk forward again.

"Come out; come out, wherever you are." I said in a singsong voice.

I think I heard feet shuffling from my left, so I spun around.

"_Twenty Seconds."_

"Gotcha!" I said as I fired my laser.

"No, you didn't." Artemis said with a laugh.

I know I shouldn't think about how cute her laugh is, but I haven't heard it in three years. It made me smile.

"Where are you?"

"Right in front of you." she said, her breath hitting my face.

I could finally see her silver eyes again, and they were beautiful. It was like they lit up everything around us, and her lips were so close I could just kiss her.

But I can't kiss her, because I don't want to be a jackalope.

"So, how are you going to take losing?" I asked cockily.

"You think you're going to win?" she asked with a snort.

"Yes, because you've only been playing for the last thirty seconds." I said with a smirk.

"_Five Seconds."_

She smirked and swept my feet out from under me, but if I was going down, then she was too, so I grabbed her.

She landed on me, her hands resting on my chest, her hair draping like a curtain around us.

"_Four Seconds."_

A blush was slowly creeping up both of our cheeks. We seemed lost in our own little world.

"_Three."_

We both snapped out of it and reached for our laser guns.

"_Two."_

Aim.

"_One."_

Fire.

"_Game Over. Red team wins with 10, 000 points!"_

"Red team?" Artemis and I exclaimed in confusion.

That was when the lights turned on, and we saw two thirteen year old boys, one with brown hair and blue eyes, the other with black hair and blue eyes, smiling and holding two laser guns aimed at us.

"Red team rules!" they exclaimed as they high-fived.

"Turner, Aiden?" I asked.

They grinned.

"Hey, John!" Aiden, the one with black hair and blue eyes, exclaimed.

"Hiya, John!" Turner exclaimed.

"Hey, guys." I said with a grin aimed at them.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah, is she?" Tom asked.

"Tori is going to be jealous."

"And Sadie."

"And Veronica."

"And Mackenzie."

"And Lindsay."

"And Kayla."

"And-"

"Nobody is going to be jealous guys!" I exclaimed with a scarlet blush.

"If that's what you think." They said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey, you didn't deny the fact that she's your girlfriend!" Tom exclaimed.

"So she IS your girlfriend!" Aiden said triumphantly.

"No! She isn't my girlfriend! She's just a friend!" I exclaimed, my blush getting even darker if possible.

"Then why is she still on your chest?" Tom asked with a smirk.

I looked at Artemis and noticed she was blushing scarlet too, but she still glared at me as if this was my entire fault and got off of my chest.

"She isn't my girlfriend." I repeated as I got up.

They looked between the two of us with that smirk still on their faces.

"Whatever you say, John."

"Sure thing, John."

I sighed and shook my head, then ruffled their hair.

"Hey!" they cried indignantly.

"That's for being annoying."

"But you know you love us!" they chimed.

I rolled my eyes but gave them both a hug, which they returned.

"Guys, this is Artemis, my **friend.** Artemis, the blonde haired idiot is Turner, and the black haired idiot is Aiden."

"Wait….I thought you were the black haired idiot." She said in mock confusion.

I shot her a mock-glare and she smirked at me.

"See! Girlfriend-boyfriend-relationship-thingy! You're flirting!" Aiden exclaimed as he and Turner high-fived.

"We're not dating!" Artemis and I exclaimed at the same time.

"Okay, okay, we'll shut up about it, sheesh." Turner said as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Thank you." I said with a grin.

Artemis just glared at me as if this was my fault, again.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Artemis! Please, beat up Rock for us!" Aiden and Turner said as they ran out of the laser tag arena.

Once they were gone, Artemis slapped my chest, but it didn't hurt.

"That was your fault!" Artemis exclaimed, but her cheeks were tinted pink again.

"I know, I know." I said with a cheeky grin.

It might have been my imagination, but I think she smiled too.

Artemis' POV, Home:

We were sitting at the dining table again, about to eat lunch, when all of a sudden somebody knocked on the door. Judy, Apollo, and John all shared a glance and grinned. Then I heard keys in the door and the door slammed open.

"Honey, I'm home!"

No. Please no, anybody but him.

"Bring out the beer!"

And him.

"Shut up, fools!"

Oh, in my father's name, no.

"In my name, shut up!"

Please, no. Please!

"Father, you have more knowledge than that! Why did you say 'shut up?'?"

That's better. Kind of. She can be annoying…

"Athena, calm down, we are supposed to relax."

YES! The only one that does not irritate me in any way, shape, or form!

Right then, five people stepped into the dining room, my idiotic half-brothers Hermes and Dionysus, my uncle Hades, my father, my sister Athena, and my aunt Hestia.

In the name of Chaos, what is happening today?

* * *

**Hey everybody!**

** I know I haven't updated in a long time, and you guys all deserve to know why, so I'm going to keep it short.**

**1) I've been down lately, and I didn't want it to affect my writing.**

**2) Every time I would try and write from my phone or iPad, it would get deleted, and I got really annoyed so I just stayed away from writing on my phone or iPad.**

**3) I started eighth grade!**

**If you guys want to know if/what I'm working on at the moment, or when my next update will be, if you have a Twitter you should follow me, because I will start posting that sort of stuff on their. My twitter is NikiD1233, so if you want/need to know something, you'll find it there!**

**Well, that's it, so see you guys soon! Thanks for reading, bye! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Artemis' POV:

We all are sitting around the large, circular, dining table. John is sitting with Apollo to his left, Hermes to his right, Dionysus is next to Apollo, Judy is next to Hermes, Zeus is next to Dionysus, I'm next to Judy, Athena is next to me, and Hestia is next to Athena. Everybody was smiling and laughing, which is very strange and different than they usually are, especially in regards to my father and Hades.

The welcomes were strange. Everybody got a hug, even Hades and my father, and they _hugged John back_. John also kissed Hestia and Athena on the foreheads, and they _blushed_. My jaw was practically on the floor. I mean, I knew other immortals visited John, I just never knew they were so close. As shocked as I was, though, I still felt an angry bubbling in my stomach when John kissed Hestia and Athena, who are in their twenty-one year old forms, on the forehead. I didn't like that feeling, I never felt it before, but I ignored it.

Everybody, par my brother and Hermes, are different from how they are on Olympus. They are all happy, relaxed, and energetic. Appearance wise, everybody is younger (or in Hestia's case, older). Everybody is in their twenty-one year old form, even Father and Hades.

All of a sudden, I felt the presence of four other immortals, and the others did too, and they seemed surprised.

"More guests." John said with a grin.

We all nodded.

"Dionysus, be a dear and get enough plates for our guests." Judy requested.

Dionysus smiled and went to the kitchen. That was the second somebody knocked on the door.

"I'll get it." John said and walked towards the door.

Everybody continued on as if nobody came to the door, and Dionysus came back to the table with four plates of food. John stayed at the door for a few minutes before he led the four newest visitors into the dining room, and Chaos help us.

Our newest visitors were Hera, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite.

John's POV:

I opened the door and saw Hera, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite. None of them were facing the door, but were looking at each other and talking.

"I think he's cheating on me!" Hera wailed.

"And the others came with him to see him cheat? Zeus is an airhead, but I don't think he's that stupid." Demeter said.

"Oh, he is!" Hera snorted.

"That doesn't mean he's cheating on you…" Demeter trailed off.

"But what if he is?" Hera questioned.

"For Olympus' sake, he's not cheating on you!" Aphrodite groaned.

"Can it, Barbie!" Hera snapped.

Persephone just watched on in amusement.

"Uh hi, I'm John." I said, startling them.

Hopefully that would get the Percy questions out of the way.

They immediately spun around and their jaws dropped. Demeter and Hera turned into their twenty-one year old forms almost immediately.

"Hi, I'm Aphrodite." Aphrodite introduced with a wink as she put her hand in front of her.

"Enchanté, Mademoiselle Aphrodite." I said as I gently took her hand in mine and kissed it softly, just like Judy told me to do whenever I met a girl (except if it was Artemis or one of her hunters, because I don't want to be a jackalope).

I also thought it might be a bit fun to finally speak French with somebody, even if it was barely saying anything. I did get a reaction I didn't expect, though. Aphrodite smiled and blushed lightly.

"Persephone." Persephone said as she put her hand out.

I did the same thing I did with Aphrodite, and got the same reaction.

"Demeter."

Same thing as before.

"Hera." Hera said, her lips upturned in a seductive smile that I _never _needed to see.

Nonetheless, I greeted her the same way as I greeted the others.

"Why don't y'all come in? We're all having lunch right now." I said with a small smile.

They blushed a little deeper when I said y'all, but followed me inside. When they saw the dining room, their jaws dropped.

"Hey!" everybody exclaimed.

"That's Judy, this is her house." I said nodding at Judy, who smiled and waved at them.

"C'mon! Sit down and eat! Especially you, John! You need to be ready for the show later!" Judy exclaimed.

"Judy!" I groaned as I sat down.

After scanning the table, which is very large and _still _has room for more people. Hera sat down next to Zeus, Demeter sat down next to Artemis, Persephone sat down next to Demeter, and Aphrodite sat down next to Persephone.

"Stop complaining, Rocky!" Dionysus teased.

"John, why do people call you Rocky?" Artemis asked.

"Well-" Zeus started.

"Dad, shut up! Let her find out later!" Apollo exclaimed.

Zeus chuckled.

"Sorry, but you'll see for yourself later." he said.

"But why!" Artemis complained.

"Sister, you'll find out later." Athena said with a smirk.

"Fine." Artemis groaned.

I couldn't help but smile. Town has already gotten her to relax.

"So, John, you speak French?" Aphrodite asked.

"Yep."

"Why?" she questioned.

I looked down at my plate and frowned.

"My mom always wanted to go to Paris. My brother, father, and I were planning to surprise her by taking her on her birthday, in the spring of my senior year in high school." I murmured.

Everybody who knew my mom and Paul died looked at me sadly. Artemis also looked at me in confusion.

"That's so sweet! Did you enjoy Paris?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"I never got to go."

"Oh, why?" she asked surprised.

I stared down at my plate.

"My family died in the summer, a little while before my senior year started. My mom and dad drowned a month before school started, my brother died on Mount Tam a few weeks after them."

Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hera, and Persephone looked surprised. I shot Artemis a look that said, "I'll explain later."

She nodded.

"I-I'm so sorry." Aphrodite murmured.

Apollo and Hermes pat me on the back, but all I did was nod.

Lunch went on in silence for little while, just the occasional whispers, but after a while it got back on track.

"So, John, I saw a piano in the living room. Do you play?" Demeter questioned.

"Yeah, but I'm not that good." I answered.

"Not good? Are you kidding me? John is amazing! He also sings and plays the guitar. Hand him an instrument, he'll play it like a master!" Apollo exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Apollo.' I groaned.

He always brags about his blessing.

"Oh really, would you mind playing us something?" Hera asked, batting her eyelashes.

I seriously DO NOT need my aunt to do that to me. I mean, REALLY! It's extremely disturbing!

"I don't know…" I said hesitantly.

"Oh, come on John! After lunch he'll play a song for you, and then ya'll can go out to the lake!" Judy exclaimed

"Okay…" I trailed off.

"What lake?" Artemis asked.

"It's a Saturday tradition with my friends." I explained.

"We'd LOVE to go!" Aphrodite squealed.

I nodded.

"Sweet!"

**Time Lapse (Fifteen Minutes):**

"I really don't know guys…" I said hesitantly as Hermes, Apollo, and Dionysus shoved me towards the piano.

"John, we have guests, they want to hear you play a song on the piano and sing, now do it!" Judy scolded.

"Yes, Judy." I sighed as I sat down at the piano bench.

I just stared at the keys for a minute, thinking about what song to choose, when I finally decided on a song that reminded me of my mom.

"_Hey Lucy I remember your name. _

_I left a dozen roses on your grave today._

_I'm in the grass, on my knees, wipe the leaves away._

_I just came to talk for a while, I got some things I need to say."_

I never got to say goodbye one last time, never got to say, "I love you, Mom." again.

"_Now that it's over, I just wanna hold her._

_I'd give up all the world to see that little piece of heaven looking back at me. _

_Now that it's over, I just wanna hold her. _

_I've gotta live with the choices I made, and I can't live with myself today."_

Now that everything is done, no more fighting, I just want my mom next to me, I just want to give her a hug. But I can't do that anymore.

"_Hey Lucy, I remembered your birthday._

_They said it'd bring some closure to say your name. _

_I know I'd do it all different if I had the chance. _

_But all I got are these roses to give, and they can't help me make amends."_

I stopped playing. I can't keep playing. Maybe, if I wasn't Poseidon's son, my mom would still be alive. Maybe if I wasn't Poseidon's son, Paul would've been my dad, and I could've lived a normal, happy life, like I'm living now.

It's because of me that they're dead. Because of me, and only me.

_No, it's because of Poseidon._

No, I don't want to think of him, I don't want to think of my past anymore. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I realized everybody was just staring at me with tear-filled eyes. Then, they all started to clap.

I smiled at them and nodded, and then a horn honked outside. The gang was here, and they were ready to go to the lake. A smile immediately spread across my face.

"Ya'll ready to go?" I asked all the gods.

Judy always says that the only time she gets peace and quiet is Saturday when I go to the lake, because nobody is in the house and she can just relax, but secretly she thinks the house is too quiet.

"Sure!" they exclaimed.

I nodded and walked out front.

"Heya, everybody!" everybody in the truck screamed out.

The people in the truck are: Tori, Tony, Amanda, and Zach. Zach is standing in the bed of the truck, smirking at me, and Tori's sitting as far away from him as she can.

"Hey, John! You think you can beat this?' Zach asked right before he jumped up, front-flipped twice, and landed on the hood of the pick-up truck, then jump up very high and black flipped into the bed of the truck.

I simply grinned, and got into the bed of the pick-up truck.

All the gods were watching from outside the truck, the ones who have visited before grinning widely.

I jumped up, back-flipped three times, landed in a hand-stand on the hood of the car, pushed off the hood, back-flipped again, and landed on my feet in the bed of the truck.

Everybody except Zach cheered.

Was I showing off? Yes. But it's extremely fun, so it was worth it.

"Hey, if you dent my truck one more time Zach, I'm gonna bring out my bat!" Tony yelled.

"Why do you yell at me, not at John?" Zach whined.

"Because it's John!' everybody except the newest visitors chorused.

I grinned and sat down in the bed of the truck while all the others piled in. Then, we took off for the lake.

* * *

**Hey everybody. Sorry for the extended wait, like I said before, I've been really down and busy, plus writers block. **

**I just want to say, I DO NOT own the song used in this chapter, it is "Lucy" by Skillet, and I in no way claim it is mine.**

**Speaking of songs, in this story, there will be a few songs mentioned, and I might make Percy/John the ex of a famous singer. Give me your feedback on that, because it would be really helpful!**

**I also want to say in regards to my other stories: because I have so many stories (if I think of something, I HAVE to write it, or else I get TERRIBLE writers block for my other stories), I will be focusing on some of my stories until they are completed or most of them are. These stories will be Look (this one, PJO), Broken (PJO), Camp Chaos (PJO), The Words of a Woman (PJO), Mother Hera and the Hero of Olympus (PJO), Fix Me (PJO), Hero of Time (PJO/Doctor Who), and Daddy's Little Girl (Gallagher Girls). I also had an idea for a one shot BEFORE Suicide is Murder, and I didn't know how I should write it because I didn't have a backstory to it, but now that I wrote Suicide is Murder, that one shot will be the sequel to Suicide is Murder and will be called Nobody Expected, so look out for that! ****I will also try to update AT LEAST once a week from now on, two stories each time, and the stories will alternate every time.**

******So, thanks for reading guys! Byee! **

******~NikiD1233**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Artemis POV:**_

The car ride to the lake was fun. There was a lot of laughing and joking around. Most of us sat in the truck bed, even Aphrodite. I spent most of the ride watching John, though. There is just something about him. He's sweet, kind, modest, and he might seem like he's showing off but he's just doing it for fun. But there is just something about him, something in his eyes, and I can't put my finger on it. And I need to figure it out.

**Time Lapse, The Lake:**

The lake is truly beautiful. It's big, _very _big, and the way is a sea-green color. There are trees all around, the grass is as green as it is on Olympus. There are two particularly large trees, one with a twisted trunk and roots, and branches reaching for the sky with bright green leaves and surrounded by beautiful wildflowers, and the other is a little shorter than the one surrounded by flowers, but its trunk and roots are just as twisted. This tree is on a little cliff that is right above the lake and has a rope swing attached so you can swing into the water.

"Wow…" I murmured in awe.

John smiled down at me.

"Beautiful, right?" he asked with a grin.

I just nodded.

He smiled down at me.

"Did you remember to bring a swimsuit?" he asked.

"Shit, I didn't!" I exclaimed.

He laughed, and I noticed how his eyes lit up. It was beautiful.

"Just flash one on underneath your clothes, it''s be as if you were wearing them the whole time." he whispered in my ear.

I shivered slightly at the feeling of his cool breathing in my ear.

_Get it together, Artemis!_

"Thanks, John. I'm gonna go do that." I said with a small smile.

John nodded, and I turned to walk away when I saw Aphrodite and Persephone running towards me in bikinis, Aphrodite in a pink one and Persephone in a green and black swirl one.

"Watcha doing?"Aphrodite asked as she walked next to me.

"Um, nothing, about to change…" I said.

Persephone smirked.

"Let me guess, a silver one piece?" she asked.

I nodded slowly.

"Um…yes?" I asked.

They both nodded slowly.

"Okay then…" I said and walked towards a tree.

I flashed a swimsuit on and when I looked down, my jaw dropped.

I was wearing a silver two piece.

I tried flashing into a different swimsuit, but every time it was just a silver bikini that was even more revealing than the first. At one point, it went back to the original bikini and I didn't try to change it in case the cycle started again. I flashed a baggy shirt on top and stomped out from behind the tree.

"APHRODITE! PERSEPHONE!" I screeched.

They both giggled and ran away.

Oh Chaos, those girls are dead. I was about to chase them, but somebody called my name.

"Artemis, come over here!" John called from the top of the hill with the rope swing.

I had to stop my jaw from dropping because his body was drop-dead _gorgeous_. Even I'm admitting that, and I'm a maiden goddess!

I walked over to John and he grinned at me, pulling me close to him.

"Hang on tight." he whispered.

Everybody was watching us, and a blush was a on my cheeks, but I still tried to act angry.

"John, don't you dare!" I exclaimed.

"Don't I dare what?" he asked.

"You know what!" I said, glaring at him.

He smirked.

"No, I don't." he said, and that's when he launched us off of the cliff into the water.

"John!" I screeched, holding on to him tighter.

"WOO HOO!" he exclaimed, smiling at me.

I couldn't help but smile back at him.

But that was also the moment we hit the water.

"John!" I screamed as I surfaced and stomped to the shore, where John was rolling on the floor, laughing.

"Y-yes?" he asked, trying to calm down his laughter.

"You are SO dead!" I screamed at him.

He gulped.

"Can I get a head start?" he asked.

"Five." I started counting.

He didn't get the hint.

"Four." I said, warning evident in my voice.

He seemed to be coming to a slow realization. The others were laughing at him now.

"Three."

He finally realized that he only had two seconds left, and his eyes were wide.

"Two."

He took off running.

"ONE!" I screamed and ran after him, the deafening laughter of his friends now behind us.

I chased him to the other side of the lake when he disappeared.

"John?" I called out warily.

No answer.

"John?" I called again, a little worried.

Suddenly, I was tackled to the ground. Before I could even process what I was doing, I kneed my offender in the balls.

"Owwww…." John groaned as he rolled on the floor, clutching his manhood.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me!" I hissed as I crouched down next to him.

"Remind me….to never….mess…with you…again." John said between gasps.

I smirked and ran my fingers through his hair.

"I…need to tell you…something." he said a few minutes later, wheezing now.

"Yeah?" I questioned, curious to finally find out something about him.

"First, promise you won't get mad." he said, finally able to control his breathing.

"I promise." I said, still running my fingers through his hair.

"I lied." he said simply.

My hand froze in his hair.

"About what?" I asked, slowly retracting my hand.

"I knew Percy." he said.

I froze.

"Y-you knew Percy?" I asked, slowly becoming furious.

"Before you kill me, remember that you promised not to get mad, and let me explain." he said in a rush.

I slowly nodded and sat up, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

"Okay, now you probably already know who my _father _is." John said, sneering when he said father.

I snorted.

"As if it wasn't obvious, you're his spitting image. Pos-"

"Don't say his name!" John said harshly, effectively cutting me off.

Immediately, I shut my mouth.

"Anyway, besides our shared _father_, we shared another parent, to a degree. When I was a baby, my biological mom left me in a box on a street corner. Grew up raised by a couple of bums until I was five, lived on my own in the streets when I was seven. That's when Sally took me in. Sally adopted me. I grew up with Percy, Sally and Percy kept me protected from the world of the gods when Percy found out. Percy taught me how to use a sword in secret, though. So, when I was seventeen, almost eighteen, my mom and Paul drowned. I wasn't with them. I was at home, it was their day out. That was the day I found out my girlfriend cheated on me. Anyways, when I was at home, Percy came. He told me everything, who our _father _was, how the asshole abandoned him, all his friends forgot him, and his girlfriend cheated on him. We took off, headed for Mount Tam since we heard some rumors that Atlas was escaping, whooped Atlas' ass. But Percy died. He left me his sword, pictures, and camp necklace. I went down to LA, stayed there for a little while, then ended up here. And here we are now." John explained, finishing with a bittersweet smile.

I stayed silent for a moment, but then I got on my knees and crawled to John, hugging him.

"I'm sorry," I murmured as I stroked his hair.

He slowly wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"He loved you…" he whispered.

My breath caught.

"I loved him." I said simply.

"I know."

We just stayed silent for a minute, just holding each other.

And that, ladies and gents, was when I realized I was falling for John Smith.

* * *

**Hey everybody, I hope you liked the chapter! So, you all just found out John's back story, and in the next chapter you will find out how Percy came up with John. Thank you for ****reading! Until next time! ~NikiD1233**


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